An unbreakable line, Wildcats bond together up front

The Mogadore Wildcats' offensive line featured a number of shuffling parts from 2016 to 2017.

Mogadore also had a different kind of change, one that took place as summer turned to fall.

Wildcats offensive line coach Larry "Big Cat" Murphy pulled senior left guard Michael Miller aside and asked what he thought of junior quarterback Luke Rosato joining the line for its first pregame meal of the season. It had been years since a Mogadore signal-caller had joined the line for its pregame meal.

"I said that would be a great idea," Miller said. "We all love him."

Miller said he immediately noticed Rosato's ability to pick up his teammates and make them feel better.

"When I met Luke, I loved him. He was always picking everyone up," Miller said. "I just love that. It just comes natural to him."

Quarterback and line, it's a close connection in Mogadore — even though they haven't been together, in their current formation, for very long.

With three seniors on the left side of the line, and decades of trench dominance behind that feared green paw-print, it's tempting to think of the Wildcats' line as a fixture. In reality, Mogadore's line was cobbled together over the summer. Senior Daniel Stefan moved from tackle to center, while Miller went from center, the position he had played since freshman year, to left guard. Zach Shutler, a First Team All-PTC County lineman, was a tight end not long ago.

“(Shutler) has worked so hard since he started playing football,” Miller said. “He’s always getting the extra pump in. He’s really dedicated. That’s why he’s so good, why he’s able to do what most guys aren’t able to do.”

Rounding out the line are junior Rhett Brodie at right guard and senior Dale Jones at right tackle, with senior tight end Trent Yoho providing plenty of blocking.

Together, they protect a new quarterback: Rosato.

"There was a method to all that (movement)," Wildcats coach Matt Adorni said. "We didn't dislike the guys. We just thought they weren't in positions to succeed."

Those adjustments couldn't have been easy. Miller described long summer afternoons working with Stefan to perfect his new craft.

Miller, for his part, is having plenty of fun at his new position. As a center, he enjoyed starting every single play, but now he gets to roam around a little more.

“I’m the lead blocker (at times),” Miller said. “Basically, I’m in the front leading the pack. I love it. I get to fly around and hit people. There’s not much to complain about.”

Helping the Mogadore line is its ability to chat on the bench while the defense is on the field. Unlike many small schools, where the linemen play both ways, the Wildcats’ linemen generally play one way. Adorni, then, can walk over to his linemen — and Rosato — during a game and talk shop: What are you guys seeing? What do you think of this play? Are we able to trap this guy?

That's quite different than the running backs behind them, guys like Dalton Brake, Gavin Christy, Armondo Chelsey and Dylan Jones, who all play linebacker.

"Our backs are so consistently good that we can sub as many times as we want and the linemen don't have to adjust to it," Miller said. "That's what puts together a good drive and that's what puts together a great football team."

Indeed, in Friday's Region 21 semifinal, the Wildcats face a team that looks awfully familiar. Like Mogadore, Kirtland is all about running the football, with multiple backs.

"Mogadore and Kirtland, it's all going to be about blocking and tackling," Adorni said. "That's what both teams are built for and known for."

Adorni said he thinks playing Rootstown in Week 10 will help with Kirtland in Week 12.

"From a physicality standpoint, it's similar to Rootstown," Adorni said. "The way they hit and fly around, having played Rootstown, I feel better about playing Kirtland. This isn't going to be a huge shock for us."

He said Mogadore also absorbed a critical lesson from its Week 10 loss to Rootstown. Against the Rovers, the Wildcats had a pick-six and a fumble to set up a short field. That can't happen against the Hornets, Adorni said.

"They're very disciplined," Adorni said. "They don't beat themselves. They're going to make you beat them. Kirtland is not going to beat Kirtland. We feel like we did a good job of not beating ourselves last week."

Like in their first-round victory over East Palestine, Adorni said the Wildcats are a bit of an underdog Friday, an unfamiliar word around Mogadore, where championships and hand-painted signs hang hand-in-hand.

But Kirtland is a power as well, with eight straight postseason appearances, including five consecutive state title game berths from 2011 through 2015, leading some to say Mogadore is an underdog Friday at Solon.

The Wildcats coach said maybe that's a good thing. In a town where postseason appearances have become as expected as the sunrise, victory can seem like a given.

"It's kind of neat when the shoe is on the other foot and there's a little appreciation for how hard we work to get here," Adorni said. "It gets them to hopefully appreciate these wins. So many times I don't know if we get credit enough for some of the victories we do have."

Miller is also enjoying being an underdog.

"Everyone said to our class we're not that good. We're going to go 5-5," Miller said of his 9-1 Wildcats. "No one's chasing you (now). You're chasing them. It takes the stress off us. There's no target on our back. We're that arrow going for the target. I just love that feeling."

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